Bronx, NY – Former New York City Mayor David N. Dinkins will be the keynote speaker at the Bronx Educational Opportunity Center’s 23rd graduation ceremony on Friday, June 11, 2010, from 5 to 7 p.m. The commencement will be held in the Gould Memorial Library of Bronx Community College, located at 2155 University Avenue (at West 181st Street).

Dinkins is currently a professor at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. He also serves on the school’s advisory board and hosts its annual Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum. In 2003, the David N. Dinkins Professorship in the Practice of Urban and Public Affairs was established at Columbia University.

The 106th mayor of New York, Dinkins began his career in public service in 1966 in the New York State Assembly. He was president of the New York City Board of Elections. He then became city clerk before he was elected as president of the Borough of Manhattan in 1985 and mayor of the City of New York in 1989. Dinkins serves on the board of several non-profit and charitable organizations, many of which assist children and young people, including the Association to Benefit Children, Children’s Health Fund, Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Posse Foundation, Coalition for the Homeless, and the United States Tennis Association.

The Bronx Educational Opportunity Center (Bronx EOC) is a tuition-free educational institution of the State University of New York and is administered by Bronx Community College. It educates and trains economically and educationally disadvantaged residents of the State of New York. In the last 22 years, more than 20,000 New Yorkers have received their high school equivalency diplomas, entered college, started or enhanced their careers, achieved Microsoft certifications, and obtained employment through the Bronx EOC.

Founded in 1957, Bronx Community College (BCC), the oldest of City University of New York’s six community colleges, serves as the engine for academic and economic mobility for motivated students from diverse backgrounds and preparations. More than 11,000 students from over 109 nations are enrolled in 30 associate degree and certificate programs including Nursing, Radiologic Technology, Computer Graphics, Nuclear Medicine, and Business Administration, Digital Arts, Computer Information Systems, Education Associate, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology, Electronic Engineering Technology, Liberal Arts, Marketing, Accounting, Human Services, Media Technology and Paralegal Studies. BCC’s 43-acre campus, high above the Harlem River, features architectural masterpieces of Stanford White and Marcel Breuer, as well as the Hall of Fame of Great Americans, the nation’s first hall of fame. BCC President Carolyn G. Williams is in her 14th year of leadership service to the College, which is located on a 43-acre campus at 2155 University Avenue at West 181st Street , formerly New York University’s uptown campus until 1973.

The College is home to initiatives not commonly associated with two-year institutions, such as the Center for Sustainable Energy, which promotes the use of renewable and efficient energy technologies in urban communities. The National Center for Educational Alliances (NCEA) ) is currently collaborating with South African Further Education and Training Colleges and universities to create linkages between these institutions and is also working to enhance student and academic support at the colleges. NCEA also coordinates the College’s global initiative which facilitates global learning within and outside of the classroom.